Pa Kuan Huai (Ms)

Proposed Thesis Title: Youth in Cold War West Malaysia, 1963–1989
Advisor: Associate Professor Masuda Hajimu

I am Kuan Huai from Malaysia. I am interested in modern Asian history, with an emphasis on social history. More specifically, I am drawn to topics related to youth, gender, and marginalized groups.

I pursued a B.A. in International Relations at the University of Nottingham, where I developed an interest in history. I completed my M.A. in History at NUS. I investigated ordinary people’s experiences of the Cold War during the 1960s in West Malaysia. I studied the social and political contestations of the era, with a focus on anti-communism. As a member of the “Reconsidering the Cold War” project led by Prof. Masuda Hajimu, I interviewed former labor activists, student activists, and members of the Communist Party of Malaya.

For my PhD research, I intend to focus on youths as the main political actors in Cold War Malaysia. I plan to highlight their agency and explore what drew them to participate in politics.

In my free time, I enjoy drawing and playing video games.